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Feb 20 Fan? Or Fanatic?

We talked about this on the Podcast. I'm a major Cheap Trick fan. In my humble opinion, they are the greatest American Rock and Roll band.

Now, there are many great Rock and Roll bands: Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, The Alice Cooper Band, Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels, are just a few that come to mind.

So why am I so loyal to the boys from Rockford?

There are a couple of possible explanations.

First of all, I'm also a Beatles fan. I was too young when the Fab Four were conquering the planet to weigh in on why ''Tomorrow Never Knows'' was the greatest thing since sliced bread. I discovered the music of The Beatles the way many do. It was passed down to me.

By 1977, The year Cheap Trick released their first album, The Beatles had been split up for seven years. When I heard that debut Trick album, I couldn't help but be reminded of The Beatles. It's pretty obvious, there were great melodies, sometimes the lead singer sounded like John Lennon...etc..etc.

I don't want to use the word ''Beatle-esque'' but there were many Beatle comparisons.

My other, possibly lame, explanation is that I'm just a kid from the Midwest. In the 1970's there was a lot of great Rock and Roll being released, and much of it was coming from the Midwest. Cheap Trick, and later, Off Broadway, would embellish what would later be known as ''Power Pop''. Great Hooks with some loud amps to crank it out!

There have been some missteps along the way, and the band hasn't always knocked it out of the park. However, 40 years later, Cheap Trick can still come up with incredible songs, and they can still kick ass live.